I have become a fairly regular user of Linkedin and often get requests from somehow connected people to join my network. I never thought I would have a network or want one but it has been very interesting. I have heard from many people from my past and present but also many who know them directly or indirectly. The amount of time it would take to stay current with all of the information or detail is not measureable; however, I find value on each brief visit. This week I got a request from a local person who called themselves a pantologist. The definition of the word is basically-uncountable. A systematic view of all branches of human knowledge or a work of universal information. On Paul William’s website, The Pantologist, you will find “a pantologist is a person who studies all things…but to put it simply, it is a person who studies (-logist) all things (panto-).” It is not a specific vocation or job title but it perfectly described me and apparently Mr. Williams – we like to learn about many different things.
This week was right up my alley. I road tripped to Twin Falls for St. Luke’s committee and System Board meetings. The picture is the view from the rim of Snake River Canyon, this is a unique place in our State. The canyon was dramatically sculpted and shaped by the Bonneville Flood, one of the largest floods to have occurred on Earth. About 17,400 years ago, a large freshwater lake called Lake Bonneville broke through a natural divide at Red Rock Pass in southeastern Idaho. During the peak, the flow of the flood reached 33,000,000 cubic feet per second – equivalent to the volume of 374 Olympic sized swimming pools flowing by every second. Imagine watching that! The water was estimated to be flowing at 70 miles per hour in the canyon pictured below what is now the Perrine Bridge. I did not get to travel up the river to Shoshone Falls this trip, but do take a trip to see the “Niagara of the West” the falls is 212 feet high–45 feet higher than Niagara and flows over a rim that is 1000 feet wide. If you want a spectacular outing, go to the falls in the middle of a cold winter – the falls are frozen and the site is amazing. I did not take time to fully understand the impact the flood had on the falls so I will leave that to you.
I spent an hour in the neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Twin Falls hospital. I am always impressed with the passion those Doctors nurses, Physicians assistants, and care teams exhibit for their very small patients and their families. I did not know that the OB/GYN community is in constant contact with the delivery teams at the hospital as they anticipate babies who may require surgical delivery or be at risk for other reasons. This level of communication and cooperation is standard practice whether the baby is at St. Luke’s or another area hospital. Just as impressive is availability of special transfer teams and the knowledge that the hospitals work together to get small children where they need to be for the best outcomes. If a mother is going to deliver triplets or more it is likely that she will require a specialized team and equipment – it is always best to transport the babies before they are born.
I must finish with the Great Barrier Reef and Zika. Something we must save and a disease we must eradicate. The reef is 130,000 square miles off the coast of Australia, it is the world’s largest reef system and it supports an amazing variety of marine life. Today the reef is dying – the temporary warming effect of the major El Nino event combined with the ongoing climate change has heated the waters around the reef. The result is a bleaching effect that has sucked the color and life out of the coral. David Kline of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography believes “this is the longest bleaching event ever recorded and it’s truly global, and it’s looking very severe.” The reefs act as natural barriers for land masses and marine life depend on them for their habitat. This is on the radar screen of over 200 countries who agreed last year to work to keep global temperatures from rising more than 3.6% by 2100.
At the same time, the Zika virus threatens the world. There seemed to be less concern when Ebola and Zika were confined to poor, tropical countries. The ease of moving around the globe today has brought these threats to our very door. The United States is considering a $1.3 billion investment to assist the world and our country in finding a cure, prevention and perhaps erradication of the mosquito that is the carrier. I take some heart from the fact that the world can work together on protecting the planet for current and future generations. On behalf of my grandson Hank and my family thanks for looking to the future of our home.
I am fascinated by Stephen Hawking and intend to spend some time in retirement reading and watching his lectures and series on the universe. One of the smartest people in the world who has overcome some many obstacles he reminds us “intelligence is the ability to adapt to change”. I would add that knowledge and experience give you the perspective to make better decisions.
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” Stephen Hawking
“Ideas are the source of all things.” Plato
“If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be truly fulfilled.” Lao Tsu
In conclusion, “everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t” Bill Nye
Join me in my new avocation or at least one that has a name now–be a proactive pantologist.
Mike